Twitter, Facebook come to the rescue of fans, flood-victims

Chennai has always had powerful credentials to be India’s cultural capital – and now its horizons have broadened even more, with the traditional and modern coexisting harmoniously where once only the classical would do. In 2015, the city saw the addition of some fine restaurants, upscale apparel brands and a vibrant independent music scene come into its own. 

Chennai’s palate has matured over the years, and this year saw unique food concepts arrive on the scene, exotically-themed restaurants, pop-up eateries and bistros too. People have become experimental with food.  The Russian Restaurant Winter Palace by expat chef Sergey Nekrasov, India’s first cycling café Ciclo Café and the numerous Asian and continental eateries that sprung up in the city bear testimony to this.  

I am also looking forward to international fine dining giants making their way to the city. The year gone by saw not just one, but four, fashion weeks, where prominent names, such as Manoviraj Khosla, Sanjana Jon and Rocky S showcased their collections, with fresh faces from the city also shining bright. City-based designers like Vivek Karunakaran and Neesha Amrish also made a splash. The live acts scene picked up momentum too. 

Many pubs and cafes provided a platform for stand-up comedy acts, music bands and solo artistes. In 2015, the city witnessed top notch live acts and some of the local artistes made their presence felt nationally and globally. Stand-up superstar Russell Peters’ ‘Almost Famous’ tour was a soldout event here. And so were gigs by comedians Kannan Gill and Vir Das. 

For music buffs, the chartbusting 90s dance group Vengaboys’ performance filled us up with pop nostalgia. Also the popular international band Rival City Heights, struck a chord with Chennai’s music fans. Who can forget the Indian Super League’s (ISL) opening ceremony that we hosted with much pride and success! 

Of course, it had some of the biggest names from across the world of cinema, sports and business. Remember the mother of all selfies that was clicked on this occasion! The biggest hero of 2015 was the social media. 

The way it united the people of Chennai was exceptional. We came together to make fun of ourselves through the fun videos made by Put Chutney on the ‘Madrasi Batman’ or rising up to the cause of water pollution in Kodaikanal by an MNC through Sofia Ashraf’s viral video, ‘Kodaikanal Won’t’. Many Facebook posts and tweets went viral and trended on social media. 

And finally, social media turned saviour during the Chennai floods connecting rescuers and volunteers to those in need of urgent help. Social media went far beyond its role as the single biggest platform to disseminate news and information. It embodied the spirit of Chennai and its beautiful, courageous people, whose ‘never say die’ attitude became a symbol of national pride.